Lowbrow Getdown 2016

It is hard to believe Lowbrow Getdown 2016 has already come to pass. Each year we celebrate Ohio's warmer months by having a huge moto camping party at Nelson Ledges Quarry park in July. You never really know what you are in for when you arrive at The Lowbrow Getdown, but it's always extremely fun. In year's past we have been in the middle of a rave, had guys rock the stage like David Allen Coe and Blue Oyster Cult, and we even had a Biltwell Cocktagon fight on the beach. This year we kept it simple; just ride, drink, camp and surprisingly people said they had one of the best times yet.

"Loud pipes ruin naps" was the common theme at this year's Lowbrow Getdown.

The Atmosphere

Ohio is filed with tons of campgrounds, parks, and forests but none compare to the nostalgia of Nelson's Ledges. Extremely tall trees cover the grounds with rays of sunlight that peek through the branches, leaving warm pockets throughout the campground. There are small homemade shelters, canopies tied to the tops of trees, and tent fortresses built by the locals that live on the grounds in the summer months. Though you may feel completely surrounded by trees, there actually is a quarry filled with some of the cleanest water ever to swim in at the center of the campground. There's a small island in the middle of the water along with plenty of cliffs to jump off into the water and swim.

The front gate to Nelson Ledges Quarry Park. I feel like I almost blow by it every year!

Kat, riding into the campground, Friday 7.8.16. A road completely surrounded by trees.

The view from my tent. Tall trees and the sunlight bouncing off smoke rising from the fire ring.

They call it the Buckeye side, we waited for a life guard for hours to finally swim off this beautiful part of the campground.

The Roll In

This year's Lowbrow Getdown attendees rolled in from all over the Midwest, Canada, Alabama and even Vermont. Watching bikes ride into the "War Zone", is one of my favorite things to do. At my camp we line up chairs semi close to the road to watch bikes come in and out for a good portion of the first day. I heard a few people got soaked the entire ride in Friday, while others missed the storms all together. Everyone's stories were different and I feel like that's what helps make these events so great. When people start sharing their stories and relating to previous encounters with others, it forms bonds and friendships that last a life time.

One of the many groups of 4 or more bikes rolling into this year's Lowbrow Getdown.

Some guys after setting up camp, rode off to the local convenient store to pick up their favorite adult beverages of choice.

Others just rode back and forth showing off their goods.

The Food

Every year I love experiencing the ingenuity that some have when making food while camping, it really makes me smile. My friend Dan Lawrence has made burritos on the fire in the past years but this year he stepped up his game a bit and smoked some chicken for a few hours along with cooking up some fancy type of potatoes and other veggies in a skillet over the fire. It was extremely delicious, and you could tell everyone at the camp thought the same. Another friend of mine ended up burning bacon and sausages on an old Coleman while drinking beermosas (orange juice mixed with Highlife) Saturday morning and yet those were still delicious too.

Chef Dan Lawrence opening up some more food to prepare with his smoked chicken.

Nads burning the sausages. At least there is beermosas.

Also here at Lowbrow Customs we try to supply at least one meal per day for everyone. This year we had Paul Davis from Dan's Dogs whip up some of his gourmet hot dogs for the party on Friday night. He even made special names for the dogs, which everyone seemed to get a good chuckle at. The bread was this crazy Texas toast kind of bun and the different assortments of toppings makes you want to try one of each till you can't eat anymore. On Saturday, Pizza Hut came through in a big way with a bunch of cheese and pepperoni pizzas for everyone. I have never seen 21 pizzas disappear so fast.

The Bikes

It's always cool to see the bikes in our area out and about next to tents and ripping through the campground. There are always some that have changed, other stay the same, and some guys were riding something completely new this year. It's always so relaxing walking through the campground, beer in hand and snapping photos.

Bob and Melina ripping it up to get some food. His Harley-Davidson Pan/Shovel is immaculate.

This was one of my favorite Harley-Davidson Sportsters this year. Simple to look at, yet it had such a great stance, with a beautiful color choice, and really cool seat. A great way to make your bike stand out using custom Sportster parts.

Kyle Waltz on his Harley-Davidson Generator Shovelhead.

If the Lowbrow Getdown was the type of event where we gave out awards, this would have been the best Shovelhead. It is just crusty in all the right places and perfect in every single way.

If you didn't see this old Shovelhead hiding in the back of the woods, you missed out. The patina, windshield, pogo seat, and even the saddle bags just made this an instant classic.

"If it ain't long it's wrong." This Harley-Davidson Ironhead is lean, mean, and the handlebars are pretty crazy too. Built by Tyler Porter.

The Cliff Jumping Contest

This year Poler gave us a bunch of amazing camping gear to give out. We thought what better way then to have a cliff jumping contest. Guys and gals were going all out, trying their absolute hardest to win. They were doing weird back flip flairs variations, double front flips, and even a few tried the dreaded belly flop. The cliff is about 15 feet off of the water and feels like you are hitting a truck if you don't land the right way. A few kept it sketchy with a piggy back jump and handstand push-off but the winner, Billy Howard came through with 2 and a half flips to take home first place and the goods.

Shane doing the sketchiest trick, handstand push-off. He defiantly got yelled at by the life guard.

The Best Campsite

We also decided to give out a second prize pack filled with Poler stuff to the best campsite. Kyle asked me, "Who has the cool old Dodge van with the blender, generator, and a bunch of choppers at their site? They look like they are doing it right." I told him it was the Canton kids plus Paco. He laughed and said "Well that's cool some local guys get to take home some good stuff." As we dropped off the prize pack to the site, they were all in disbelief and extremely happy. The word had gotten around that night they had won the best camp site, so people kept walking over to see what it was all about. At one time I think there was over 50 people partying in their spot, just insane.

Camp Canton going through the box of swag from Poler.

Paco running off with the coolest sleeping bag from Poler.

Kyle was keeping his tarp on his bike for shelter using knives as stakes. Chopper all the way.

So many people partying in the best camp spot!

In Conclusion

The Lowbrow Getdown isn't just a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts in the woods to party their faces off. I feel as if it is a moment in time where everything can be let go, you can relax and be yourself with friends and do literally anything you want. Every Lowbrow Getdown is different year to year and a completely different experience for every single person who attends. It's all how you look at it, and how you choose to make your memories. That's the beautiful thing about it all. The Lowbrow Getdown is in the same location every year but never the same memory for anyone. Till next year everyone.